Distributional shifts of canopy-forming seaweeds from the Atlantic coast of Southern Europe

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Population dynamics of two caprellid species (Crustaceae: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) from shallow hard bottom assemblages

The community structure of caprellids associated with shallow hard bottom assemblages was studied in four locations around Pagasitikos Gulf, western coast of the Aegean Sea. Samplings were carried out every 3 months from April 2009 to April 2010. Samples were collected by scraping off the hard substrate, using 400-cm(2) handmade quadrate samplers. Water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and sea current velocity were measured in situ. Two caprellid species were found, Caprella acanthifera and Phtisica marina, with a clear dominance of C. acanthifera at all locations. The abundance of both species followed a seasonal pattern with a peak in spring or summer and a decline in winter. Lower abundances were detected at the locations with high current velocity and higher abundances at the locations with low water flow speed. This is an indication that the species might prefer areas with low hydrodynamism. Strong sexual dimorphism in body size was observed for both species, and the sex ratio was 1:1 throughout the samplings. It appears that reproduction for both species is continuous throughout the year, with a possible major breeding event in winter

Assessment of pressures and impacts on surface water bodies of the Mediterranean. Case study: Pamvotis Lake, Greece

The aim of the study presented in this article is to assess the ecological status of a surface water body in the Mediterranean using the methodological approach of Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response. Based on this approach for the case study analyzed (Pamvotis Lake, Greece), it is concluded that the main drivers, which lead to pressures in the study area are: intensive agricultural activities, alteration of hydrological regime, contamination from point sources and changes in the land-use and fish stocking. The ecological status is assessed by analysing data series of physical, chemical and biological elements that are available from early '80s. Findings suggest elevated nutrient concentrations sufficient for maintaining eutrophic conditions while their seasonal variability is mostly driven by factors as water level fluctuation, catchment runoff and in-lake biological processes. Subsequently, concerning biotic factors, the poor biodiversity mainly represented by the dominance of the most tolerant species, confirm the previous profile. Since, reference conditions have only recently been established in Greece, the ECOFRAME scheme and the guidelines proposed by the "Intercalibration Group for Mediterranean Lakes" were applied. In terms of the above elements; the water quality status could be characterized as "High", "High to Good" and "High to Bad", respectively, whereas the overall ecological status tends to shift in poor conditions. Finally, the major response actions needed should be in the direction of reduced application of fertilizers and chemicals in the cultivated land of the catchment, removal of the point-contamination sources from the catchment, appropriate land-use management and biomanipulation

An Ecosystem-Based Approach to Assess the Status of a Mediterranean Ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica Seagrass Meadow

17 páginas, 8 tablas, 3 figurasBiotic indices, which reflect the quality of the environment, are widely used in the marine realm. Sometimes, key species or ecosystem engineers are selected for this purpose. This is the case of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, widely used as a biological quality element in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD). The good quality of a water body and the apparent health of a species, whether or not an ecosystem engineer such as P. oceanica, is not always indicative of the good structure and functioning of the whole ecosystem. A key point of the recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is the ecosystem-based approach. Here, on the basis of a simplified conceptual model of the P. oceanica ecosystem, we have proposed an ecosystem-based index of the quality of its functioning, compliant with the MSFD requirements. This index (EBQI) is based upon a set of representative functional compartments, the weighting of these compartments and the assessment of the quality of each compartment by comparison of a supposed baseline. The index well discriminated 17 sites in the north-western Mediterranean (French Riviera, Provence, Corsica, Catalonia and Balearic Islands) covering a wide range of human pressure levels. The strong points of the EBQI are that it is easy to implement, non-destructive, relatively robust, according to the selection of the compartments and to their weighting, and associated with confidence indices that indicate possible weakness and biases and therefore the need for further field data acquisition.Peer reviewe

Essence of the patterns of cover and richness of intertidal hard bottom communities: a pan-European study

Coastal ecosystems are highly complex and driven by multiple environmental factors. To date we lack scientific evidence for the relative contribution of natural and anthropogenic drivers for the majority of marine habitats in order to adequately assess the role of different stressors across the European seas. Such relationship can be investigated by analysing the correlation between environmental variables and biotic patterns in multivariate space and taking into account non-linearities. Within the framework of the EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) programme, hard bottom intertidal communities were sampled in a standardized way across European seas. Links between key natural and anthropogenic drivers and hard bottom communities were analysed using Boosted Regression Trees modelling. The study identified strong interregional variability and showed that patterns of hard bottom macroalgal and invertebrate communities were primarily a function of tidal regime, nutrient loading and water temperature (anomalies). The strength and shape of functional form relationships varied widely however among types of organisms (understorey algae composing mostly filamentous species, canopy-forming algae or sessile invertebrates) and aggregated community variables (cover or richness). Tidal regime significantly modulated the effect of nutrient load on the cover and richness of understorey algae and sessile invertebrates. In contrast, hydroclimate was more important for canopy algae and temperature anomalies and hydroclimate separately or interactively contributed to the observed patterns. The analyses also suggested that climate-induced shifts in weather patterns may result in the loss of algal richness and thereby in the loss of functional diversity in European hard bottom intertidal areas

Consistent patterns of spatial variability between NE Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky shores

In the frame of the COST ACTION ‘EMBOS’ (Development and implementation of a pan-European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System), coverage of intertidal macroalgae was estimated at a range of marine stations along the European coastline (Subarctic, Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean). Based on these data, we tested whether patterns in macroalgal diversity and distribution along European intertidal rocky shores could be explained by a set of meteo-oceanographic variables. The variables considered were salinity, sea surface temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, significant wave height and tidal range and were compiled from three different sources: remote sensing, reanalysis technique and in situ measurement. These variables were parameterized to represent average conditions (mean values), variability (standard deviation) and extreme events (minimum and maximum values). The results obtained in this study contribute to reinforce the EMBOS network approach and highlight the necessity of considering meteo-oceanographic variables in long-term assessments. The broad spatial distribution of pilot sites has allowed identification of latitudinal and longitudinal gradients manifested through species composition, diversity and dominance structure of intertidal macroalgae. These patterns follow a latitudinal gradient mainly explained by sea surface temperature, but also by photosynthetically active radiation, salinity and tidal range. Additionally, a longitudinal gradient was also detected and could be linked to wave height

The role of physical variables in biodiversity patterns of intertidal macroalgae along European coasts

In the frame of the COST ACTION ‘EMBOS’ (Development and implementation of a pan-European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System), coverage of intertidal macroalgae was estimated at a range of marine stations along the European coastline (Subarctic, Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean). Based on these data, we tested whether patterns in macroalgal diversity and distribution along European intertidal rocky shores could be explained by a set of meteo-oceanographic variables. The variables considered were salinity, sea surface temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, significant wave height and tidal range and were compiled from three different sources: remote sensing, reanalysis technique and in situ measurement. These variables were parameterized to represent average conditions (mean values), variability (standard deviation) and extreme events (minimum and maximum values). The results obtained in this study contribute to reinforce the EMBOS network approach and highlight the necessity of considering meteo-oceanographic variables in long-term assessments. The broad spatial distribution of pilot sites has allowed identification of latitudinal and longitudinal gradients manifested through species composition, diversity and dominance structure of intertidal macroalgae. These patterns follow a latitudinal gradient mainly explained by sea surface temperature, but also by photosynthetically active radiation, salinity and tidal range. Additionally, a longitudinal gradient was also detected and could be linked to wave height

A comparison of the degree of implementation of marine biodiversity indicators by European countries in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

The degree of development and operability of the indicators for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) using Descriptor 1 (D1) Biological Diversity was assessed. To this end, an overview of the relevance and degree of operability of the underlying parameters across 20 European countries was compiled by analysing national directives, legislation, regulations, and publicly available reports. Marked differences were found between countries in the degree of ecological relevance as well as in the degree of implementation and operability of the parameters chosen to indicate biological diversity. The best scoring EU countries were France, Germany, Greece and Spain, while the worst scoring countries were Italy and Slovenia. No country achieved maximum scores for the implementation of MSFD D1. The non-EU countries Norway and Turkey score as highly as the top-scoring EU countries. On the positive side, the chosen parameters for D1 indicators were generally identified as being an ecologically relevant reflection of Biological Diversity. On the negative side however, less than half of the chosen parameters are currently operational. It appears that at a pan-European level, no consistent and harmonized approach currently exists for the description and assessment of marine biological diversity. The implementation of the MSFD Descriptor 1 for Europe as a whole can therefore at best be marked as moderately successful